XI

It's already two thirty in the morning and the presence of the streets is street lights together with very hard rain. Kathy silently walked down the sidewalk as she felt every raindrop hit her body as she thought deeply about the case. They did their best to find the lead of the show, but the result was always a dead end. She starts overworking just to solve the case, as she doesn't want to leave the case unsolved. She looked up as she noticed the raid drop stopped hitting her body and saw the black umbrella.

"You should sleep right now." She recognized that the voice belonged to Jeff, her partner.

"Same to you!" Kathy responded as she looked into his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Well, my wife and I had a heated argument, just like a married couple, and she decided to kick my ass out of my own house. She just got angry because I haven't spent my time with my family, even though I spend most of my nights taking care of my daughter, who has special needs. Anyway, what are you doing outside? "

"Well, I just want to walk outside. I need to relax after all these crazy events of the past three weeks. " Kathy said as they walked down the sidewalk. She noticed a coffee shop that was open 24/7. "Do you want some coffee? My treat. "

Jeff nodded and the two of them went to the coffee shop. Jeff gently opened the door and let her in before he entered. The smell of coffee beans greets them as they walk forward to the barista. The coffee shop is empty and the only noise that can be heard is the static noise from the television, which is located on the right side of the coffee shop. There's a small bookshelf on the left side where the customer can read a novel while they enjoy a cup of coffee.

"Hello, Ma'am, Sir, may I take your order?" The barista greeted them with a smile.

"One French vanilla cappuccino please." Kathy said.

"Mine Americano." Jeff joined.

They wait for a couple of minutes for the order. As soon as they finally got an order, they chose the table in front of the television. The barista told them they could switch the channel if they wanted to, but they declined the offer since both of them wanted to watch "The Reality Show," which is about to start any minute. They silently drink their coffee as they patiently wait for the show to start.

"You know what? I'm glad I met you back when we were in grade school. " Jeff started the conversation.

"Same. I mean, that was grade six, right? "

"No, silly, grade five."

Both of them laughed it off, and suddenly Jeff gave him a serious look.

"But seriously, though, your behavior has changed ever since that car accident last year. I thought you were going to die because your face was so messed up, man. Unfortunately, the stranger who was also riding next to you died. I hope she-"

"Stop." Kathy speaks up. "I don't want to talk about that incident anymore. It gives me a nightmare every time we talk about it. Understand?"

Jeff fell silent as he drank his coffee. Ever since the car accident last year, her behavior has changed. Despite wanting to talk about it, she refuses to give at least one detail. She keeps saying, 'I just passed out while driving home during that time. I forgot the stranger that I let hop into my car. ' Yet he was more curious about it. Who is the stranger who let her hop in her car? Why does the stranger let her drive? Is there a significant relationship between them? Jeff curiosity was finally distracted when the show finally started.

It was the usual introduction where the host introduces the ten contestants, except the two who are already dead have an X mark on their faces, which is a sign that they are already dead. Kathy and Jeff silently watch the television as they slowly sip their coffee, while the waiter watches from the counter as he cleans the table. Finally, the host finally appears on the television, except they are on the stage together with the remaining contestants.

"Before we start, I would like to play their final meal a little longer since today's episode was kind of different." The host said as he snapped his finger and the behind the scenes was shown where the remaining contestants were having a fun conversation like it was just their ordinary day. Did they finally accept their fate? This lasted for twenty minutes, which is much longer than usual.

"This is weird." Jeff muttered as the camera faced back to the host.

As you can see, someone attempted to call the outsider for help, which was against the rules. Now one of them secretly told me about this. " The host explained as he showed the broken walkie-talkie and cellphone.

Out of nowhere, Jeff stands up immediately as he yells, "What the fuck!"

"Now since nobody even believes them, which is good, according to the contract they signed, if this shit happens, I will kill them all, no hesitation." The three viewers from the coffee shop fell silent as they witnessed how the host slowly reloaded his revolver and pointed his gun at one of the contestants.

There was a moment of silence as the host laughed. "So nobody wants to admit it? I guess nobody will get thirty million dollars. "

He was about to shoot one of the contestants when someone shouted.

"It was me! I was the one who bought it! " One of the contestants yells from the top of his lungs. His name is Max Moyer.

The host slowly claps his hands as he laughs insanely. "Well, you know, bringing any digital communication is strictly prohibited. " You are now eliminated from this show." The host declared his defeat as he offered his hand for a shake. Max accepted his hand and slowly walked away. As soon as he took his tenth step, the host started violently shooting his body. The remaining contestants and three viewers look on in horror as the host fires his sixth bullet into his head.